At a certain age, we all crave more independence to express ourselves and make our own choices. At that point, you have a choice: to get yourself out into the world and find independence, or stay in the comfort of the childhood nest and convince yourself that independence can coexist with mama’s dinners.
You might have to give up mama’s meals, but standing on your own two feet is easier to learn when you push yourself out of your comfort zone. Here are three reasons why I think it’s important and healthy for young people to move out of their parents’ home and start living on their own.
Reason 1: Show your family—and yourself—that you’re ready to be more mature
Whether you’re moving out for freedom, room to grow, or just a more convenient location, living on your own requires some life skills and emotional maturity. Living on your own, you learn to rely on yourself to overcome challenges. You’ll learn how to manage finances, space, time, and, most importantly, how to deal with unpleasant situations. These are some of the best teachers out there to teach a young person maturity and independence.
When I moved out for college, the first few days were full of delightful hours of organizing my place and thinking about all the fun I could have living on my own. Then came the realization that it wasn’t all going to be fun, and I had a lot of new things to learn: new lessons that I am grateful for, but were not what I expected. I can’t count how many times I thought about giving it all up and moving back in with my parents. However, times of instability turned me into a more mature person and allowed me to see myself in a new light, which wouldn’t have happened in the comfort of my parents’ house.
Reason 2: Give yourself the freedom you need to grow
Eventually, we all need more privacy and freedom of choice than we can usually find living with our parents. No matter how loving and understanding your parents are, one day a bedroom starts feeling too tight and you start to crave a bigger, more private space. It’s not just about the square footage; it’s about the ability to cook and watch whatever you want, and to invite over whoever you want, whenever you want.
Even though I had to learn some harsh lessons along the way, living on my own expanded my creative ideas in terms of interior design, and my social skills when it came to hosting my parties. After years of living and studying under my parents’ intent gaze, moving out allowed me to live as I wanted without interrupting the plans of others. I had the space I needed to find my self—and to have yogurt for dinner if I wanted.
Reason 3: Learn responsibility
Living on your own teaches responsibility like nothing else! Parents tend to see their children as little kids who require constant protection, no matter what age they already are. They just can’t help but protect and take as much care as they can to provide a comfortable and carefree life for their kids. Home-cooked meals together, a clean house, set schedule, and no need to think about finances are wonderful for a child, but eventually that child becomes a young adult who needs to live on their own.
Moving out and dealing with all of these things on your own is like a crash-course in responsibility.
My whole being disagreed with the fact that mama was no longer near, and she would not take care of me waking up on time and having a healthy breakfast. The first few months of living on my own were like a nightmare where chores fell on my head with no warning. Eventually, I learned it all and developed new habits. A clean house, reasonable wake-up time, finished homework, and my full stomach were consequences of responsible actions I had to take on my own.
By living on my own, I learned essential things that I would never have learned living with my parents. It made me more responsible, more mature, and allowed me to understand myself better.
Now, tell us your story of leaving the nest or living on your own for the first time! Did you learn anything about yourself?
